An electronic component assembling line in which component-mounted substrates are manufactured by mounting electronic components on substrates is formed as a single manufacturing line by combining plural electronic component mounting apparatuses such as screen printing apparatuses, electronic component loading apparatuses, inspection apparatuses and the like. In such electric component mounting apparatuses, safety mechanisms are provided for ensuring the safety to machine operators during operations. For example, when a cover lid that is provided on a cover to shield a driving part in the apparatus such as a working head is opened for maintenance and checking service or the like, the driving part in the apparatus stops its operation by means of an interlocking mechanism configured between a switch to detect opening of the lid and the driving part in the apparatus. As a result, it is avoid an unsafe condition such that a machine operator uncautiously accesses to the driving part in the apparatus during operation.
In recent years, wide variety and low volume production becomes common in production of electronic devices. In manufacturing facilities, in order to improve area production efficiency and flexibility, there is an increasing demand in manufacturing facilities in which line flexibility is enhanced by constituting a component assembling line is formed by combining plural small-sized manufacturing facilities (See, for example, JP-A-2004-104075).
In the prior art disclosed in JP-A-2004-104075, plural thin unit apparatuses, each having a dimension of approximately 300 to 400 mm in substrate carrying direction, are detachably combined to form an assembling line for electronic components. By this construction, the assembling line configuration can be easily changed in accordance with products to be manufactured, so that it is possible to obtain more flexible production environment.
However, in such facilities in which small-sized thin unit apparatuses are combined as described above, there is a fear that unsafe the condition cannot be sufficiently avoided only by normal interlock mechanisms to ensure safety of the machine operators during the operation. More specifically, when a trouble arises in an operation of one apparatus, the machine operator accesses to the apparatus so that the operator opens the cover lid or inserts a hand or a part of the body through an opening, there is a fear that the operator's hand or the like could be brought into contact with a driving part of an adjacent apparatus even if the apparatus in trouble has been stopped by the interlock mechanism since the adjacent apparatus is located near the apparatus in trouble. Therefore, in manufacturing facilities in which such small-sized thin unit apparatuses are combined, there is a need to establish an advanced safety measure that is further than the conventional safety system.